|
Gabrielatos, C. (1998). Translation impossibilities: Problems and
opportunities for TEFL. TESOL Greece
Newsletter 60, 21-24. |
|
|
|
|
|
Introduction Translation has a long
history in English
Language Teaching (Howatt, 1984; Richards & Rogers, 1986; 3-4) and is still
employed by a great
number of teachers in monolingual contexts, as well as some materials writers. Translation is most frequently used as
a convenient
shortcut when teaching vocabulary, by providing 'equivalents'
in the learners' mother tongue. Unfortunately, such practice creates a number of
serious long-term problems for learners. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly,
language is not a mere collection of words and grammar rules; it is the
expression of a culture. It embodies the efforts of a
language community to conceptualise and interpret
the world, as well as human experience and relations. As a result, language
reflects the complex 'personality' of such a community. Therefore, language can
only be interpreted and learned with reference to
a specific cultural context. Uncritical use of translation, which does not
take account of language idiosyncrasies resulting from cultural factors will
invariably lead learners to formulate in their minds a non-existent relation
between English and their mother tongue (in our case Greek). As Kramsch (1993: 1) puts it, culture
... is always in the background, right from day one, ready to unsettle the
good language learners
when they expect it least, making evident the limitations of their hard won
communicative competence, challenging their ability to make sense of the world around them. Raimes (1998: 11) provides a very
clear example of how
culture can unsettle a language learner from her own experience in learning Japanese: After
I'd laboriously learned to count to 20, I found out that Japanese has ... different words
for counting flat
objects ... or cylindrical objects. Secondly,
translation as a teaching tool needs to take into account a number of
different aspects, such as grammar (e.g.
transitivity of verbs), syntax, collocation and connotation. Uncritical use
of translation may give learners insufficient, confusing or even
inaccurate information about the target language. In this article I will
examine: a. limitations of translation due to cultural differences, b. pitfalls
of its uncritical use, and c. ways in which translation can contribute to
foreign language learning. |
|
|
|
|
|
Key words L1,
mother tongue, first language, translation, interlanguage, English language teaching,
EFL, ELT, TESOL, language teaching methodology, linguistics, applied
linguistics. |
|
|
|
|
|
Relevant details This article is based on my talk entitled
'Translation Impossibilities' given at the 19th Annual TESOL Greece
Convention, 4 April 1998. |
|
|
|
|
|
Related articles by
the same author |
|
|
Gabrielatos,
C. (2001). L1 use in ELT: Not a skeleton, but a bone of contention. A
response to Prodromou. Bridges 6, 33-35. |
|
|
Gabrielatos,
C. (2001). L1 use in ELT: Not a skeleton, but a bone of contention. A
response to Prodromou. TESOL Greece Newsletter 70, 6-9. |
|
|
|
|
|
Edited online
discussion on the same topic |
|
|
Using the first language in second
language instruction: If, when, why and how much? TESL-EJ 5(4), Karen Stanley (ed.), March 2002. |
|
|
|
|
|
If you know of any related publications or discussions
freely available online, please contact me. |
|
